Events

All entries due by March 11, 2024.

This contest is part of the 2024 Centre County Reads/CALS Community Read of Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy, a novel centered on the history of a Stradivarius passed down through the generations of a Black Southern family. Ray McMillian inherits the violin of his formerly enslaved great-great grandfather and uses it to make a name for himself as a classical musician. When the violin is stolen, facing indifference from both the police and the classical music community, Ray must take matters into his own hands to find it. As he works to recover his violin, he must also confront the racist past surrounding it—and reassert his claim not only to the violin, but also to his own talent, career, and destiny.

Following the example of Slocumb’s novel, enter your best work of writing that centers on something lost—an object, a person, a history, a memory—and the attempt (successful or not) to recover it. Submit your piece of 7,500 words or less for competition in one of the following categories: Best Short Fiction, Best Nonfiction, Best Poetry, and. Best Entry for a Writer under 18. $300 grand prize winner and additional prizes for winners in each category.

Please send entries to cals@psu.edu and include a cover letter with your name, address, contact information, a brief biography, and contest category. Winning entries will be displayed at Schlow Centre Region Library and on the CALS website.